


Silver and Gold

by bookoftheazuresky



Category: Exalted, Tales of Xillia
Genre: Assassination Attempt(s), Destined Partners, First Meetings, M/M, Mental influence, Past Lives, Shapeshifting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2017-04-22
Packaged: 2018-10-22 18:06:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10702293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookoftheazuresky/pseuds/bookoftheazuresky
Summary: The walk into Taurus’ camp was easy. Lin pulled the hazy silver light of the third-quarter moon around himself and nodded familiarly to the guards on duty. They nodded back, convinced that they recognized him, and continued to scan the night for threats and intruders.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My thanks to my betas for humoring me in my crazy crossovers.
> 
> The basic premise of Exalted is that long ago, the gods rebelled against the Primordials, the titans that created the world, using humans as their armies. They created the Exalted to be their soldiers and generals: the Solars chosen by the Unconquered Sun, the Lunars chosen by Luna, the Sidereals chosen by the Maidens of Fate, and the Terrestrials, or Dragonblooded, chosen by the Five Elemental Dragons. The Primordials didn’t go down easily however. They created a Great Curse that would destroy the weapons used against them. At the end of the First Age, the excesses of the Solars inspired by the Curse finally reached a tipping point and the Sidereals and Dragonblooded killed them and imprisoned their Exaltations. The Lunars, the varied partners of the Solars, fled out into the Wyld where no one sane would pursue them. The Dragonblooded then spent the next millennia casting the Solars and Lunars as Anathema, monsters that heralded destruction, and hunting down whoever they could catch. Now, the Solar Exaltations have returned to Creation and no one is quite sure what is going to happen next- including the Lunars.
> 
> As for backstory, Gaius is a Dawn caste Solar who is using his Exaltation’s battle and leadership capabilities for all it’s worth. Lin is a Casteless Lunar who is not going to give up his family’s stewardship without a hell of a fight, which he might well get since he’s been trying desperately not to let anyone know he’s Anathema. They both have several years as Exalts at this point: Gaius is about 20 and Lin is 17.

The walk into Taurus’ camp was easy. Lin pulled the hazy silver light of the third-quarter moon around himself and nodded familiarly to the guards on duty. They nodded back, convinced that they recognized him, and continued to scan the night for threats and intruders.

He walked the neatly laid out avenues at a pace that implied neither leisure nor haste. Both might attract attention, despite the lateness of the night. Even wrapped in a shroud of concealing moonlight, there was no reason to be sloppy. Those still awake at this hour had the same reaction as the watchmen- Lin was just a part of the scenery, a person recognizable because he once sat a few tables away in the mess hall, or was once assigned the same camp chore rotation. He reinforced this perception with quick smiles of acknowledgement as he strode deeper into the heart of Taurus territory, passing in-camp patrols with no concern.

As he neared the commander’s tent, he coiled tighter with tension, though no sign of it appeared on the surface. There was another guard stationed outside, with at least four squads positioned within shouting distance.

Lin _could_ try on another guise, a specific guise, though without killing the person he was trying to impersonate his shapeshifting was less convincing. And there was still the matter of _why_ whoever’s shape he took needed to talk with the commander at- he checked- about three in the morning. Or, he could do _this_.

Lengthening his stride to purposeful, Lin trotted up to the guard. Being a sensible person stationed in the middle of a well-patrolled camp, the man didn’t pull his sword but instead opened his mouth to query the young soldier approaching him. Lin said, sharply, “Shh!” as a flicker of violet danced in his eyes.

The guard froze. Lin slid around him and ran a finger along his pulse, leaving a glimmer of purple in its wake. “Forget this,” he commanded, barely a murmur. The faintly glowing streak vanished into the man’s skin, sparking in his eyes for a moment. Satisfied, Lin, silent as a shadow, entered the commander’s tent before his charm could lapse.

He carefully lowered the flap so it would close without a sound. Scanning the room, he determined that it was intended as an atrium, with screens erected to separate public and private areas. There was a dim light on the desk to his right: a basic stone lamp like the one in his own quarters, to allow movement without the risk of stumbling even at night. He stayed up against the entrance so as not to cast shadows on the screens, then started to edge around the far end of the tent from the light. He hadn’t been able to see it from outside, so the tent walls were apparently opaque enough to prevent that means of discovery, just as they were proof, to his prior frustration, to listening ears unless those inside had raised their voices past all decorum. A sensible investment in magic, given the threats of eavesdropping and assassins, but not so useful when the assassin had gotten inside already.

The far left edge of the screen left a gap between it and the tent wall. Lin touched the screen lightly, and leaned past it.

His target was unsurprisingly asleep, laid out on his bedroll a few feet from where Lin was standing. From this angle, all Lin could see was a sweep of dark hair on his pillow and a muscled back covered by light blankets. Exhaling slowly and silently, Lin reached not for the sword at his waist, but the jade-steel dagger tucked into his boot.

He placed his feet deliberately, precisely, ready to lunge at a moment’s notice should the unexpected happen. Three steps, and he judged he was close enough, and calculated the motion required to drive the blade into the column of the neck. The thought was parent to the deed- he struck.

His target threw the blankets in his face and caught his wrist in a grip of steel. Lin slammed his whole weight down onto his captor’s arm, the hampering cloth sliding off with the motion. He ended up nearly facefirst on the floor as he was redirected into the ground. He let go of the knife, a move that _would_ be stupid, if he weren’t already reaching for a different shape, a fellcat’s mauling claws and fangs. Shapeshifting was not instant, so Lin was just starting to bleed silver and indigo at the edges when his opponent pulled him fully to the ground, wrist still locked in a death grip.

Gold eyes flecked with moonlight met wine and-

_A queen crowned with glory kisses his fingers, a concession both wry and tender-_

_A sullen teenager with the blazon of the dawn on his forehead scoffs, and she wraps an arm around his shoulders and shakes him fondly-_

_A woman in bloody silks, pierced with arrows, screams at her to go, a command she won’t obey even as Dragonblooded nock the next volley-_

-a tie in his chest snaps taut, stronger than moonsilver or orichalcum. They both freeze.

Lin Long Dau and Gaius of Taurus looked at each other and shared one clear thought: “Oh fuck.”

“You-“ the Solar started, pulling him closer by the grip on his arm. He kept his voice low, too low to be heard outside. Lin, still rattled down to his bones, thought, _he doesn’t want to get me killed_. “Who are you?”

 _Yours_ , was the answer that nearly tripped off his tongue, because that was what every piece of him that was touched by Luna was screaming. It was a fact of the universe, like the tides, like gravity. They belonged together.

 _I need to get away_ , Lin thought, terrified for the first time of what he was. _I need to get away, get this under control, I can’t kill him_ -

“It’s all right, just tell me.” The Solar let go of his wrist and gathered him up, sheathed sword and all. “I can protect you.” It was earnest, almost breathless. It was him under a Solar who outweighed him, outmuscled him, and was intended to kill things older than _gods_.

Lin thought desperately, _I need!_ The moonlight in his soul _clicked_ , a new pathway opening. The shape, the _intent_ , of the revealed charm filled his head. The Lunar reached up and touched bare skin, pale blue blooming under his hands.

Eye to eye, Lin could see the single petal-flicker of blue that flashed across wine-purple. It was gone as Gaius blinked, confusion and something else darkening his expression. The Solar leaned in, breathing across his mouth, and kissed him.

Lin’s clumsy but willing response seemed like everything Gaius wanted. The Solar licked into his mouth, effortlessly rearranging him with the hand under his back. The casual display of strength made his pulse race as he went limp, not fighting the assurance in the possession of his body. Concern and conflict faded to a static-y scratching at the back of his head- his hands fanned out on Gaius’ ribs.

He had never been kissed like _this_ : like he was the love of someone’s life, like it mattered more than air. The Lunar welcomed him, slid hands up to his tattooed shoulders and sucked on his mouth. Gaius groaned at his eager response and muscles shifted under the Solar’s skin. In a moment, the older man pushed himself up to a sitting position and yanked Lin to sprawl across his lap, chest to chest. His hand went to Lin’s sword belt, sliding across Lin’s vulnerable belly.

Lin was shocked back into the moment, body tensing before he could control the reaction. Gaius tensed in turn, looking into his face. The charm and the moment cracked.

Gaius pushed him off, castemark flaring as he gathered his wits to overcome the lingering remnants of the Lunar’s influence. Lin didn’t give him the chance. He lunged away, reshaping himself into a small cat and coming down on four paws. In a flash, he was gone, ducking under the front flap of the tent.

He ran a zigzag pattern through Taurus’ camp, taking turns at random until he hit the edge and then just sprinted. It didn't matter though, because only part of what he was trying to outrun was behind him.

The moon sailed above his head. He couldn’t help but think she was laughing at him.


	2. Chapter 2

_The young Lunar lolls in his arms, blood dripping from his nose, his eyes, his mouth. He’s pale under the spatter, his dark hair clotted with it. His anima dims to nothing, leaving him washed in the unforgiving light of dawn. Bodies are strewn all around them, but Gaius can’t save the one person who matters._

_He could get up, fight on, but the thought of letting go is repugnant. The hot burn of poison from Wood Aspect arrows is in his veins, too, as shown by the bloody tracks on his own face. Even if he makes it through, there’s no place to go. Dragonblooded are the finest soldiers ever created, and enough of them can bear him to the ground._

_The commander of the archers must see his resignation. She walks to him, pulling another arrow from her quiver, and nocks it. Gaius tucks the Lunar closer to him, though he doesn’t need protection any longer, and looks up at her. “Get on with it,” he says._

_She draws the arrow, the jade-green tip aimed for his castemark-_

Gaius woke up with a hiss. For a moment, he thought it was day, before he recognized the thin, sharp light as his own. It took a few steadying breaths to pull back and dim it.

Gaius dreamed of the people he couldn’t save. His nightmares were hardly innovative, but that didn’t stop him from shuddering awake from yet another vision of bodies washed out by the sharp morning light of his soul.

It had gotten worse lately. Before, the most unpleasant were usually the ones with Karla. Sometimes it was simply a repetition of her finding her fiancé’s body, killed by her Anathema brother. Sometimes she made it there earlier to be cut down instead. In all of them, he could see her horror like it happened yesterday. They were uniformly awful, but the ones where she died on his sword were probably the ones that left him the most shaken when he woke.

Now he’d added fresh ones to the list. That Lunar- _his_ Lunar- featured heavily. Some of them couldn’t be his- frankly, he didn’t think his imagination was up to producing sentient rivers of ice and razors and fire, let alone animating full battles facing it with armies of Dragonblooded behind him. Also, the fact that in those dreams he was a woman was a definite clue. But the ones where he was murdered by Dragonblooded just a little too late to die with any comfort, someone very important dying in his arms, _those_ were always mercilessly clear, whatever variation his sleeping mind came up with.

And his Lunar was very important. Honestly, the attempted murder meant nothing to him; if Gaius took such things personally he’d never be able to speak to half his comrades again. A few years as Anathema really provided perspective on people- it wasn’t the past but the present that counted. Which was good, as he had a fair guess as to the identity of his assassin, and it was going to require finesse to get him on Taurus’ side.

He needed to be on Gaius’ side. Gaius kept playing out their encounter in his head and kicking himself for getting distracted, not pushing through the charm right away. He should have been smarter. He couldn’t regret it entirely because his first impulse had been to prevent the Lunar from being executed, and he’d certainly managed _that_. Albeit in a way that took pins to his pride.

Giving up on sleep for the night, Gaius kicked off his blankets and crossed his legs to settle into a meditative position instead. He might as well do something useful rather than stare at the far wall while trying fruitlessly for sleep.

The blazon of Dawn on his brow, Gaius settled to plot his next move. It was about time that he used this power for something other than killing. He _was_ going to win this war, he _was_ going to pull this country together, and he _was_ going to convince everyone, including his Lunar, to support him.

Even if he _was_ Lin Long Dau.


End file.
